Young sculptors and painters won several prizes at the Tall Trees Art Exhibition awards event in Cooran on Sunday.
Twenty-year-old Makenah Swinbourne won the prize for artwork by an artist under 25 with her mixed media piece ‘Flourish’.
‘Flourish’ by Makenah Swinbourne. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
Thirteen-year-old Banjo Brown won the Highly Commended and People’s Choice awards for his welded ‘Barramundi’ metal sculpture.
‘Barramundi’ by Banjo Brown. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
Banjo told the crowd his parents and mentor ‘Brenno’ had supported his passion for welding and you can check out his work at Farm Boy Forge.
Thirteen-year-old metal artist Banjo Brown won two awards at the Tall Trees Art Exhibition. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
Portrait artist Ellenie Faith Kirkman won a ten-day Artist Residency at Eumundi Guesthouse and BnB donated by owners Suzie and David Campin.
‘It felt to me like young artists took over the event this year,’ said Tall Trees Art Exhibition organiser Wendy Birrell.
‘The visitor statistics showed a large increase in visitation from the under 20 age group.
‘Once the art started to arrive, the curation team could tell the work was of a high standard. Many of the young artists who entered last year had developed in the last 12 months and presented professional work that was difficult to distinguish from the adult entries.’
Adult entries
Tall Trees also showcased a variety of artworks by adult artists.
‘Longing’ by Saren Dobkins. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
‘Nurtured by Nature’ by Keisha Sunderland. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
‘Bolero’ by Alan Somerville. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
Established by Noosa hinterland artists in 2009, the annual Tall Trees Art Exhibition is a community event held in Spring that sees art and music take over the main street of the Noosa hinterland township of Cooran.
Venues along the main street showcased a variety of artworks from Sunshine Coast, Gympie and Noosa artists. Cooran Memorial Hall turned into a curated gallery of selected artworks.
Ms Birrell said Tall Trees had grown into a weekend-long family friendly festival style event, with a mini market, live music, takeaway food, kids’ activities in Pioneer Park, a kids’ heritage trail with prizes and guided heritage town walk.
